RELIEF from natural or man-made disasters affecting people and their pets.
RESCUE the animals provide them with the means to live healthier, safer lives.
REBUILD the structures destroyed by disaster so that humans and their pets can live together.
Triple R Pets was founded in 2005 in the wake of Hurricane Katrina on the Mississippi coast. Our mission then as now was to relieve the suffering of the pets that were without homes due to natural and man-made disasters. Working to help animals is a community effort, and involves not-for-profit groups such as Triple R Pets, the residents of the community, local government, and, of course, the animals.
Wow! We have now helped with the TNR of over twenty cats in the past two months. We’re not done yet as this colony has sixty cats. With forty more cats to go, we need to raise another $1,400 to complete the colony. If you can help out with a donation of $35 that is one more cat we can help! The caretakers of this colony are Warren and Angie Boxx. They are great caretakers and the cats are lucky to have them. They are committed to ensuring the entire colony is spay / neutered to stop the population explosion. The story is all too common. There were a few cats hanging out after Katrina came through. It seemed they were left behind. Warren and Angie started feeding them and the rest is history. Here is a picture of some of the cats, hanging out:
While we have ended our formal work on the Gulf Coast, we still have found that there is a desperate need for TNR (Trap-Neuter-Release). Last week one of our volunteers, Katie Taibi, helped a resident trap and spay 16 cats. With the help of a grant as well as the success of our annual garage sale, we are able to continue to fund TNR along the Gulf Coast.
This August will mark the 3rd year since Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast. Yet, many residents are still rebuilding their lives. The pet overpopulation problem and feral cats add an even greater burden to many concerned animal lovers still rebuilding. While many organizations and people across the U.S. have forgotten about Katrina victims, you can certainly count on Triple R Pets to continue to help these unlucky people and animals.
Today marks the two year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina making landfall in Waveland, MS. All along the Gulf Coast much progress has been made, yet there is still so much work left to do. Our Trap-Neuter-Release program is in full swing helping those animals left behind trying to survive in areas where foods sources may be limited. Population control is a main objective as we enter our third year of sustained relief. With limited adoption opportunities, we need to keep the numbers in check.
Residents still rely on our smiling volunteers to check in on them, help with a vet bill or just provide a ride to a vet for an animal in need. Food distribution in the hardest hit areas is still needed and the food is harder and harder to come by as the days, months and now years pass.
Hurricane preparation, including resident education, free micro-chipping and shelter operations continues. Hopefully we will never see anything the size of Katrina again, but we must be prepared.
We thank everyone who has volunteered, whether their time, donations or just in kind, supportive words. Without you, our operations along the Gulf Coast that have impacted both residents and furry friends would not be possible!
Board Member, Collette Walker giving a big hug to Lemoyne who was rescued last November from Ocean Springs, MS. After being treated for an aggressive case of heartworm and every skin disease known to a dog, Lemoyne has found a loving forever home in the Chicago Suburbs.
At last, we have completed pet registration in East Biloxi. We are happy with most of the statistics, but a few are a bit scary. We have listed the stats below. A big thanks goes to Hands On Gulf Coast for supplying all the volunteers that helped with our door-to-door survey. As September comes to a close so does our work down here. We are still helping with TNR and plan to continue our efforts throughout October. We also began to help a lady named Suzy who runs a shelter in Bay St. Louis. I have been dropping off a few pallets each week that disappear in a few days. Suzy distributes food for the entire neighborhood and has been feeding numerous feral colonies. The coast has definitely seen a huge improvement over the past 8 months, but there is still so much work to be done!
-Ben Waldman, Field Operations Coordinator
Sorry for the delay in posting this one, it slipped through the cracks! There was a nice article in US News and World Report on the two pups that rode home on Air Force One at the end of April. We also received a nice letter from President Bush regarding his visit to Mississippi. Both are posted below for viewing / downloading:
Washington Whispers
President Bush Letter
